Depression - is it always triggerd by problems in one's personal life?

Question

Is there always an underlying emotional trigger behind the so-called "chemical imbalance"?

I'm sorry if I was unclear. I'm not denying that there is a "chemical imbalance." I'm just wondering if depression can happen even if someone is otherwise entirely happy with his/her life, health, finance, work, family, relationships, social life, future outlook, environment, etc.

I apologize if my question seemed offensive to some people, but I meant no disrespect by using the word "so-called." In fact, to prove this, I've just looked the word up in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Listed as the first definition of the word "so-called": 1. commonly named : popularly so termed." And that's what I meant by the word.

Perhaps people shouldn't be so quick to jump to the conclusion that my question was meant to provoke? Being judgmental is not my general attitude, and in return I hope I can be treated in non-judgmental ways by others.

Answer 1

So called? Um, you don't say that about diabetics...why would you say it about people that suffer with depression? Sure, some people are depressed because of outside circumstance, and some are depressed because of actual chemical imbalance.

Answer 2

really, all depression is a chemical balance, because chemicals like seretonin are needed in your brain to make you happy and stuff, and if the amount is off (i think if you get more than needed is when you get depressed) you then start to feel depressed because it is getting recieved by the neurons. An outside circumstance can lead to this, such as abuse or the death of a loved one. But there are also those who are just born w/ a chemical imbalance. I have a chemical imbalance, if you looked at what's going on around me it all seems great, but still i get depressed, so it is real. i would suggest looking into some studies or sites on the net.

Answer 3

Any type of depression is the result of molecular activity in the brain - this includes hormone, electric circuitry, chemicals, transmitters, receptors and so forth. So too are all other emotions.

The difference between someone feeling sad because of regular life events and someone greiving is associated with the degree of chemical changes. For a normal brain, both of these externally "caused' depressions rebound to a normal state in a regular period of time - as little as a few minutes/hours for little stuff, a couple weeks for tougher stuff, and a year or so for serious grieving. That's regular life depression.

People with chronic or major depression have a serious imbalance in their brain chemistry. The latest theories I've read show a strong hereditary correlation suggesting a genetic predisposition. This means that a regular life event can trigger a persistant and/or worsening state of depression for people with the illness. The more times this occurs, the worse it gets. Lol, for some that event might mean being born. For others, it can be a piling on of smaller events over life or something more significant. For those with intermittent depression, the "triggers" usually become less significant on a scale of what normally would cause one to be depressed. The state can also become more like a permanent part of living. Given enough trauma, especially if it includes powerlessness at the hands of another, anyone can end up with clinical depression because that type of situation can alter brain chemistry in a way that's difficult to undue.

The biggest fallacy is that chronic and/or major depression are not states that a person can "think" their way out. There is no "adopt a better attitude" approach for the real illness. The sadness is not like regular sadness, it's more like extreme grief but with no real reason. There's also no relief from crying that's ordinarily experienced. Some depressed people don't even cry because it's not that type of sadness. It most always includes lack of energy to extreme persistent exhaustion, often accompanied with insomnia. It can also devolve to include various psychosis.

For us, anti-depressants are not happy pills. They are functioning meds, if and when they work. There's plenty of science, brain imaging, and other neurological research for the medical community to conclude that depression is definitely due to altered brain chemistry.

I guess it's fair to say that your comment on "so-called" chemical imbalance pissed me off enough to write all this in hopes you might be a little more interested in googling things to educate yourself a fraction before posting presumptive questions.

Answer 4

The fact is, no one really knows the answer to your question. Even seemingly happy people can become depressed and will always remember something that happened in the past to attribute the depression to. Science is just very far behind in this issue. Even anti-depressant medications are hit and miss in their success. The psychiatric world has a long way to go in understanding the origins of mental illness.

Answer 5

I have been diagnosed with clinical depression and take medicine for it. Problems/events in life can contribute to depression, but they don't always do so -- I have had periods in life in which I am depressed for no reason, so I believe -- based on my personal experience -- that there indeed IS a such thing as a chemical imbalance causing depression.

Answer 6

From all the years I have studied this awlful disease, its always been a doctors determination that it is genetic and/or chemical imbalance. Alot of people that are depressed,blame themselves or think they are lazy and beat themselves up because of "how they are" but the truth is, it isnt anyones fault.Its just an unfortunate disease that affects millions of people and its hard to live with sometimes.Parents feel even more guilt as said by studies because they dont interact with their children as they wish they could,and dont want their children to grow up hating them because of these problems. There is always an underlying problem,noone brings this on themselves,if they truly have this disease.

Answer 7

yes. depression is caused by several causes, sometimes there are chemical unbalances but not al ways. Most of the time the cause lays under psuchological distress or mayor changes in a persons life or enviroment. Depression is aholistic disease so there´s almost never just one cause for it.

Answer 8

a person with clinical depression like me-if mine was triggered I don't know what triggered it. I hate when people ask why I am depressed because I do not know why. I just am. I think it is chemical.

Answer 9

I think Depression is a chemical imbalence. If one is depressed here and there- I don't think that would b considered the same condition.

Answer 10

Depression is just like any other disease. Either you have it or you don't. It usually takes something to trigger it, but it doesn't have to be anything major. Anthing that works you and and causes you to worry could be a trigger.